Want to be more secure online? Stop using Adobe Acrobat reader to open PDF documents in your browser. That's what F-Secure virus hunter Mikko Hypponen, the closest thing to a rock star holding court at the RSA security conference, is advocating.
Ditching Adobe Acrobat Reader will greatly reduce your chances of getting your PC infected by a drive-by download, says the pony-tailed Hypponen, who was recently profiled in Vanity Fair. "That's my advice," says Hypponen, "I don't expect a Christmas card from Adobe."
The bad guys are increasingly using security flaws in Adobe Acrobat Reader browser plugins to open a backdoor to your hard drive. These instructions get implanted when you visit a tainted website. The next time you use Adobe Reader, a very tiny poisoned PDF from the bad guys also opens and installs the backdoor that may allow them to take over your computer.
from USA today – however I fully support that claim I use FoxitReader